Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Are we there yet??

Do you remember when you were a little girl and loved to play dress up? Shoot, I still like to play dress up. But when you were little, you would pretend to be this person or that person. I remember always saying, “So-and-so is MY man!” I used to love Teddy Riley and Toni Terri. Remember playing with Barbie dolls! My Mom wouldn’t buy me a car so I attached a shoestring to a shoebox and dragged my dolls around the house pretending as if they were going to the mall, their girlfriend’s house or to the store. I did have a 3-story dream house complete with a wrap around staircase, full size bed (and matching linens), and sofa. My Barbies were always ‘in the know’ because I made mini magazines for them out of the subscriber inserts from Ebony, Jet, and whatever else was lying around the house. And Chile’ they were fly. My favorite Barbie, Christina, had a gray pleather coat with grey faux fur around the collar.

So now that I have you thinking about your childhood, how many of you dreamed of being a princess? Now in your dream, were you a minority princess or were you white. What about your Barbies and the rest of your dolls? Were they the same color as you or were they white? Not that that is bad or anything, I just say this because 50 years ago Dr. Kenneth B. Clark, the star witness for the Brown vs. the Board of Education, used Black and White dolls during his psychological test regarding Black children’s self image. Recently, Kiri Davis, high school student in New York, filmed a documentary on the Black children’s self image and conducted a similar test using a Black doll and a White doll. To see the news broadcast featuring her work, click here.

While the recent test did surprise me a bit, it didn’t as well. While measures have been taken in some schools and other public institutions to change Black children’s perception of themselves, it takes more than that. We all know that media shapes our minds and especially our children’s minds. We all know that parents need to take an active role in what their kids are watching, reading, and interacting with, but Davis’ documentary really answers the question of ‘Are we there yet?’ No, we aren’t. To watch the full documentary, click here.

I know that I regardless of race, I have always said that I would buy my friend’s children a little Black doll because it looks like me. I believe children should play with dolls that reflect the entire world, not just a small percent. That’s just me.

Until next time...
Be Seen at the Top!

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

GGT Event: Afrikya at the Apollo with Marcus Samuelsson


The Apollo Theater Foundation Inc., has cordially invited Girlfriends Get-Together to join Chef Marcus Samuelsson for a culinary and cultural exploration of Africa.

Come enjoy cocktails and celebrate the release of Afrikya Volume 1: A Musical Journey Through Africa, a companion CD to Samuelsson’s critically acclaimed cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
6:30-8:30pm

Apollo Theater
253 West 125th Street
Free
*Limited to the first 25 GGTers*


Until next time…
Be Seen at the Top!

Monday, January 8, 2007

Life is Good!

Happy New Year, Peace & Blessing and a World of good to you all.

Geez, I have been busy. My Mom got married (I was the Maid of Honor), I closed on my condo, and I acquired 4 new clients all during the craze of Winter holiday madness. I am blessed. How are you? I hope all is well for you and yours. No, really, I do.

Over the weekend, I saw the movie, Children of Men. I recommend you see it; that is if you can find a spot. Most of the theatres were sold out. I skipped the line and used the Kiosk just in time to catch the show. And when I got in the theatre, my Bo and I had to play the find a seat game. Why do people hog seats? I politely asked a young lady to move over so we could sit together since she wasn’t using the seat next to her. While she did, a grumpy old man didn’t want to move and ended up scaring moviegoers to the other side of the theatre. Propped up in his seat with his cart, he was really just listening to his radio, talking to himself and growling. Harmless I think.

Children of Men takes place in 2027 and involves the trials and triumphs a young pregnant girl has in a World in which the women are sterile. There was chaos, war, and all sorts of mayhem. People had forgotten what a baby looked like, sounded like, smelled like… I’m not going to give you the details; you might want to see it. But, the movie really makes you think. How would the World be if women were no longer able to have children? I mean, people have kids everyday, but what if one by one, we couldn’t.

The value of life is powerful. It is precious. Most people have New Year’s resolutions, but here’s a simple one that I’d like to share… Take time for small things. Meaning: sniff the flowers, clean that dirty closet, and call that friend you’ve been meaning to call from about two months ago. Oh, and get your Poochipatch (as my Grandma liked to call it) checked out to make sure everything is working and healthy.

Until next time…
Be Seen at the Top!